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Apple’s Swift: New Style of Programming

Long ago, Apple wanted to make clear how its graphical computing system was different, easier, and better than every other OS. So it invented AppleScript.

Many of us geeky folk had been familiar with shell scripting, a way to tell an OS to execute a sequence of commands. But AppleScript made shell scripting look like you were banging your head on the keyboard: it was clear, elegant, and conversational, like telling your computer what to do rather than worshiping it in an ancient code. I wrote our college paper’s first Web export routine in AppleScript.

At WWDC 2014 Apple’s new language for iOS and Mac programming, Swift makes me think of the moment I discovered AppleScript. It purports to be C without all of the ()!:;!!:”. The simplified syntax gives it an easier learning curve. More importantly, it’s interactive and fun to use. You don’t have to compile your projects and pump them through an emulator. You don’t have to take a month’s worth of classes and write down to the metal. You can write three lines of code in a “playground” and, well, play.

That’s a potentially great place to be, and one that could cut into Android and Windows. I still wonder if Swift is capable of creating world-class complex as well as simple apps, but Apple’s existing Objective-C platform isn’t going away. Swift is a purely positive addition to the iOS tool kit.

Age 18, A nerd , A geek, Techno Savy, Web Designer and a god programmer.

He is a developer and has his apps on Google Play. Here he will provide you with his views on the latest news about the world of technology, business and science. He will also provide you with some how-to-do’s and walkthrough’s.